Nontraditional Cancer Therapy

There are many forms of cancer treatment. One of the most common treatment types is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was previously defined as the use of chemicals, either intravenously or in pill form, to kill cancer cells. Radiation, also mentioned before, is a common treatment. Through the study of a little boy’s experience with radiation, positives and negatives of this treatment will be drawn. Jonathan Alava was a child who had cancer and underwent a special radiation treatment: proton therapy through the use of a cyclotron (Epstein). If cells are targeted and have their electrons stripped of them, through the process of ionization, the cell loses it’s ability to procreate, due to the enfeebling of its DNA. This can be achieved through the direct channeling of protons. While this treatment works for some, especially children such as Jonathan, others show little response to this form of radioactive treatment, and it can also be an unpleasant experience; patients are required to be anesthetized and strapped …show more content…
The first is the use of viruses to attack cancer cells. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) could potentially fall under the category of targeted therapy, because OVs “preferentially target and kill cancer cells through a process known as oncolysis, (the destruction of tumor cells), while leaving normal, untransformed cells relatively unaffected” (Clements). This idea is interesting and attractive, because a virus, while giving you flu-like symptoms, could potentially rid your body of cancer and save your life. The second nontraditional treatment is acupuncture, and in reality, it is less of a treatment than it is a symptom manager. People who had acupuncture sessions tended to be less stressed, happier, less depressed, and held a healthier appetite. While it may not be a treatment, it is an improvement in the quality of life for a cancer patient, which could make their experience all the more